Never Say Goodbye
by Forever2Never
Summary: "I love you." He says it over and over and over, so she'll never forget. "I love you."  A work in progress :


A/N: I'm like spewing stories out, it's so weird. Whatever. Found this from a while back, so lemme know whatcha think? (:

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_**Never Say Goodbye**_

"I'm saying goodbye."

Troy Bolton doesn't expect it when it comes; when_ she_ comes. In fact, it's so shocking that his jaw drops open, the triple-decker sandwich in the kitchen totally forgotten. And you better believe Troy never forgets his sandwiches.

"Gabriella, what are you talking about?" The petite girl in front of him is shivering, completely drenched in rainwater. Her ebony curls are plastered to her forehead, and Troy can't help but wonder if the water dripping down her face is actually tears. "And why in God's name did you walk here in the middle of a thunderstorm?"

She shifts anxiously, refusing to meet his gaze. "I had to say goodbye, Troy. I'm leaving tomorrow."

Leaving? Going where? This news alarms him. For Gabriella, leaving didn't mean taking a nice vacation to the Bahamas, or going on a sunny Mediterranean cruise. It meant moving. Moving to a different state with a different school, and most importantly moving away from him. Troy's throat grows dry, his grip tightening on the knob of his front door. Why hadn't he let her in yet?

"Do you want to come in and talk about this?" he says finally. She bites her lip, yanks nervously at the sleeve of her red sweatshirt, and then looks away.

"No. I have to finish packing."

He can't help it. He panics. Looking at this girl he's come to know so well over the past year and a half, his heart begins to crumble. She wouldn't even come into the hall? This was serious. "But-But I don't understand. Where are you going? Why are you going there? Are you coming back?"

Gabriella smiles sadly, and this proves that those are indeed tear tracks on her cheeks. "We're moving to Houston for Mom's job. Maybe. Maybe not."

"Gabriella-.." Troy stutters. What the hell had happened to his calm Wednesday night? "I can't...you…it's senior year! Where did this come from? Why now?"

"I don't know Troy. She-..." Her voice breaks. "She was too chicken to tell me before. I hate it. I hate it so much but…she's my mom, and I have to go." Her mouth crinkles downward at the edges, as if another round of salty tears are going to start up at that very moment.

Troy lets go of the doorknob, stepping towards her, and then halting in the doorframe helplessly. This was so sudden; too much information to process for a brain that had been focused on chowing down five minutes prior. He wishes desperately for the words to say; anything that could fix this.

There's nothing.

"I've got to go finish packing Troy." She says after a moment, swiping hurriedly at her eyes, leaving dark trails of mascara behind. Her feet take her slowly backwards, away from him. "Tell the others that I wish I could've said goodbye, but there wasn't any time. I'll miss them."

"But-…Brie?" His mouth struggles to form words.

"I'm sorry." Gabriella says. Her eyes dart to from the ground to his face, and back to the ground again. "I can't stay here. Goodbye Troy."

And then she's gone, sprinting down his driveway as if her life depends on it. He watches her retreating form for about 20 seconds before he's slamming his front door and jogging off into the downpour after her. None of this makes any sort of sense. None of it. But he can't let her fly off to Houston when he's got these ridiculous feelings bottled up inside of him, and she doesn't even know it. That would be ten times worse then telling her and losing her.

"Gabriella! Stop!" The rain is coming down in sheets, stinging his eyes and his exposed arms. Within seconds his white tee-shirt and sweatpants are pasted to his body. "Gabriella!"

Admittedly, she's a lot faster then he gives her credit for. She's halfway down the street, fives houses away from her own, when he finally catches up. Snagging the back of her sweatshirt, he yanks her back easily into his arms without hesitation.

"Would you stop running for two seconds!" He has to shout over the sound of the rain. She pushes away from him, and he can see that she's still crying.

"Let go, Troy! Please, please don't do this. Not right now; not when I'm leaving tomorrow." She runs a hand through her hair, and her expression is hopeless. He wants to cry.

She knows that he loves her. She knows it. He can tell by her hurried actions that she loves him back. What kind of terrible, sick timing is this? He had planned on telling her soon, under totally different circumstances then a thunderstorm and packed boxes. This was the exact reverse of what he'd wanted. What screwed up grudge did fate have against him that he's losing her this way?

"I don't care." He says, and his voice cracks. "You need to know. I can't let you go like this."

"Yes you can. _Please_."

"No." He reaches for her; for any part that she'll let him touch. "I love you. I shouldn't have waited so long, I thought we had more time. But I'm telling you now, so you'll know it when you get on that plane, and you'll know when you go to that new school. Stop resisting me when we've only got a few more minutes left."

Gabriella gazes at him, and he can see the battle in her eyes. To give up and feel what she's leaving behind, or to never feel it at all. Troy almost believes that she'll walk away from him until her expression changes, and she reaches out with a small hand to grip his t-shirt.

When she speaks her voice is shaky, but defiant. "Fine. But you better make it worth my while Bolton."

He does. Drawing her in and sliding a wet arm around her waist, Troy presses his lips to hers like he would've done if they'd had all the time in the world. It's her first real kiss, and he knows that so he doesn't go too far, doesn't cross any boundaries. And when it's over, she grips the hair at the nape of his neck and cries into his shoulder for a long time.

"I love you." He says it over and over and over, so she'll never forget. "I love you. I'll miss you. Don't worry about making new friends. I love you."

When they finally break apart it's been fifteen minutes and the storm has reduced to a light sprinkle; barely a tenth of what it used to be. Gabriella gives him a wet smile and he kisses her quickly for good measure. This is the last time he'll be able to hold her like this, at least for a while.

"Don't forget to call." She says, "I'll write you, and I'll try to come back. I promise."

His throat constricts, and he brushes a few strands from her face. "So this is goodbye, then?"

She shakes her head, swatting him in a gesture that's meant to be playful but is sad and half-hearted. "No. I was lying. I'll never say goodbye, Troy Bolton." Standing up on her tippytoes, her lips are a whisper against his cheek. "Don't forget me okay?"

He shakes his head. "Never." And with a smile that screams of finality, she turns and walks away from him. She looks back only once to give a slight wave, but he watches her the entire way until she disappears into her house five doors down. There's not even a for sale sign in the yard.

He trudges home, exhausted, disappointed and heartbroken. When his mother finds him staring blankly into space and asks what's wrong, he doesn't feel shame in the tears that come. After all, she was gone. And he'd been wrong. She'd never said she loved him back.

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I am tired. I have no idea why all my stories are about leaving people behind. Leave me one(: (no pun intended)

Goodnight lovies

Forever2Never


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